New research on containers

"The humble shipping container is a powerful antidote to economic pessimism and fears of slowing innovation. Although only a simple metal box, it has transformed global trade. In fact, new research suggests that the container has been more of a driver of globalisation than all trade agreements in the past 50 years taken together."

May 2013, The Economist (link to article, and read the growth statistics by Bernhofen et al. 2013!)